A WEARABLE 3D AUGMENTED REALITY DISPLAY

• US 20170078652A1
• Filed: 03/05/2015
• Published: 03/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: University of Connecticut (State of Connecticut), Arizona Board of Regents (University of Arizona)
• Original Assignee: University of Connecticut (State of Connecticut), Arizona Board of Regents (University of Arizona)
• Inventors: Hua, Hong, Javidi, Bahram
• Granted Patent: US 10,326,983 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 17/086 wherein the system is made of a single block of optical material, e.g. solid catadioptric systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0127 comprising devices increasing the depth of field
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0129 comprising devices for correcting parallax
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0134 of stereoscopic type
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0185 Displaying image at variable distance
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/20 in augmented reality scenes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/204 using stereoscopic image cameras stereoscopic photography G03B35/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/31 using parallax barriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/344 with head-mounted left-right displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2213/002 Eyestrain reduction by processing stereoscopic signals or controlling stereoscopic devices

Abstract

A wearable 3D augmented reality display and method, which may include 3D integral imaging optics.

Claims

1. A 3D augmented reality display, comprising:

a microdisplay for providing a virtual 3D image for display to a user;

display optics configured to receive optical radiation from the microdisplay and configured to create a 3D lightfield from the received radiation; and

an eyepiece in optical communication with the display optics configured to receive the 3D lightfield from the display optics and deliver the received radiation to an exit pupil of the augmented reality display.

2. The 3D augmented reality display of claim 1, wherein the display optics comprises integral imaging optics.

3. The 3D augmented reality display of claim 1, wherein the eyepiece comprises a selected surface configured to receive the 3D lightfield from the display optics and reflect the received radiation to the exit pupil, the selected surface also configured to receive optical radiation from a source other than the microdisplay and to transmit the optical radiation to the exit pupil.

4. The 3D augmented reality display of claim 1, wherein the eyepiece comprises a freeform prism shape.

5. The 3D augmented reality display of claim 1, wherein the eyepiece comprises a first surface configured to receive and refract optical radiation from the display optics and comprises a second surface configured to receive the refracted optical radiation from the first surface, the second surface configured to reflect the optical radiation to a third surface of the eyepiece, the third surface configured to reflect the optical radiation reflected from the second surface to the exit pupil.

6. The 3D augmented reality display of claim 5, comprising a corrector lens disposed adjacent the second surface of the eyepiece.

7. The 3D augmented reality display of claim 1, wherein one or more of the surfaces of the eyepiece comprise a rotationally asymmetric surface.

8. The 3D augmented reality display of claim 1, wherein the eyepiece comprises a wedge shape.

9. The 3D augmented reality display of claim 1, wherein the eyepiece comprises a surface represented by the equation

10. The 3D augmented reality display of claim 1, wherein the display optics comprises one or more of a holographic display, multi-layer computational lightfield display, and a volumetric display.

11. The 3D imaging augmented reality display of claim 1, wherein the 3D lightfield provides full parallax.

12. The 3D imaging augmented reality display of claim 1, wherein the 3D lightfield provides partial parallax.